Mary Hunter (Warnock) Bolton

Mary Hunter Warnock Bolton, 101, of Lyons, passed away February 14, 2019 at Good Samaritan Society, Lyons. She was born December 5, 1917 in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Robert James and Clara Ellen (Hunter) Warnock. She graduated from Dodge City High School with the class of 1934, and received her two year teaching degree from Sterling College in 1940. Mary taught for two years in western Kansas, and returned to Sterling College where she acquired her four year degree in education in 1941. She acquired numerous graduate hours over the years in order to acquire skills in the many areas she taught. During her career as an educator she taught High School, English and Spanish; Elementary, Kindergarten, second thru fifth grades, special education, and was a library media specialist. She taught in Little River, Marquette, Bushton, Northern California, and McPherson retiring from there in 1992. Mary loved to travel and visited many countries over the years. Her last big travel adventure was at age 94, when she took a cruise to Cozumel with her daughter and four of her granddaughters. On the cruise she danced and had martinis along with touring the Cozumel countryside. She was an avid reader and wrote poetry in her spare time. Included is a poem she wrote sometime in her 80’s. The poem was selected for publication when she entered it in a writing competition. At her 90th birthday celebration she recited the poem from memory, actions included, “Query” “Am I to be consigned to anonymity, / Category elderly? / Hell no! I’d rather be/ A bag lady, unwashed and unrepentant, / Pushing my cart against/ The cold winds of adversity, / Joking with God, / And giving the finger to oblivion”. On August 6, 1939, Mary was united in marriage with Grady Leo Bolton in Sterling, Kansas on the Sterling College Campus where her grandmother “Aunt Ella” Smith ran the college cafeteria. She and Grady celebrated 50 years of marriage with a celebration for all the family in August of 1989. He preceded her in death on December 10, 1989. She is also preceded in death by her parents; son, Michael Henry Bolton; daughter-in-law, Sue Bolton; and son-in-law, Richard Ritterhouse. She is survived by her daughter, Gladys Ellen (Bolton) Ritterhouse; two sons, James Grady Bolton and wife Kathy, and Patrick Maguire Bolton and wife Lynn; eleven grandchildren; twenty-six great-grandchildren; and nineteen great-great-grandchildren. No memorial services will be held at this time. A private service will take place at a later date. For anyone wishing to pay tribute to Mary, contributions to her memorial fund at The Rice County Celebration Centre is suggested where a bronze memorial will be placed in her honor. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Birzer Funeral Home, Lyons.

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